1979 Quilters' Guild of the British Isles (QGBI) founded in response to the resurgence of interest in the craft.

1980 First meeting of Scottish members in Dalkeith near Edinburgh.

1981 The group took the name 'Thistle Quilters' .

Members learned new techniques from books and taught each other due to the scarcity of qualified teachers.

Skills and confidence grew, fabrics, tools and books became more readily available.

1984 First exhibition at Edinburgh's City Art Centre featured 200 years of Scottish patchwork and quilting, with contemporary work by members and older items on loan from museums and private collectors.

The success of this six week show (drawing an audience of 10.000 people) led to the birth of other groups around Scotland.

Over the years Thistle Quilters have made numerous quilts for charitable purposes, some group quilts are now displayed, near and far, and others have been raffled to raise funds for local, national and international charities.

2018 Thistle Quilters are affiliated to the QGBI and members regularly participate in and exhibit at events in Region 16 (Scotland) and beyond.